Bounty Killer, Dexta Daps and Blakkman Say Yes to Charity

Dancehall acts are heavily involved in the war against violence within inner city communities of Jamaica.

The Seaview Gardens Neighborhood Assistance Project was started in 2016. This project is the brainchild of Dancehall artist Blakkman, but received tremendous support from Bounty Killer and Dexta Daps.

This group of artists with connections to the Seaview Gardens community decided to give of themselves by giving back to their inner-city community.

The artists have committed to performing at a yearly charity concert, with the proceeds going towards various causes in the Seaview Gardens community. United States-based record label Island Jams along with The Osbourne’s Distribution Company are the engine behind this initiative.

There are 4 categories available for scholarships:

▪ Awarded to straight ‘A’ students who is in financial need.

▪ Awarded to deserving high achievers in school but who struggles to attend school due to the absence of a parent as a result of criminal activity.

▪ Awarded to a student that is the first in their family to finish High School and attend college.

▪ The Blakkman Scholarship, which will go to a student who excels in the area of the performing arts.

A portion of the proceeds will also be donated to the renovation of the Seaview Gardens and Hunts Bay Police Station

October 28th, 2018 we will be the second staging of the annual Seaview Gardens Neighborhood Assistance Project, a charity concert and Family Fun day.

Over 50 artist has pledged their support to the worth cause.

Succes Story

Last year Jamelia Green [pictured above]a 1st year sixth form student at the Jose Marti Technical High School was one of the beneficiaries of the Seaview Gardens Neighborhood Assistance Project.

Jamelia has been a honor roll student for her entire student career. When her mom faced difficulty in paying the school fee on time she was threatened with expulsion and the inability to take her

upcoming A level exams. Many young people in the inner city community of Seaview Gardens face the

same dilemma. They either get expelled from high school, or had to drop out due to financial constraints.

Our aim is to provide a continued support system for students like Jamelia who are at risk of not being able to fulfill their dreams due to circumstances beyond their control. Situations like this makes children vulnerable to be recruited for crimes and gangs within the community.

MUSIC AND THE COMMUNITY

Over the years Seaview Gardens was known as a war torn Inner City Community. According to Former

superintendent of police Arthur Brown music has had a positive impact on the community. In an interview he said, “since the emergence of dancehall artists Dexta Daps and Blakkman the violence

has slowly subsided. Most of the youths now use music as a platform to elevate themselves. They’ve developed new aspirations, they want to travel one day and they know they can’t do so if they

partake in crime. Seaview Gardens has produced some of the most notable names in dancehall including Shabba Ranks, Bounty Killer, Elephant Man, Scare Dem Crew, Innocent Crew and most recently Dexta Daps and Blakkman. I’m happy to see that these artists are using their platform to do good for the youths of the Seaview Gardens community.